Translation mistakes aren’t just funny anecdotes—they can be expensive, embarrassing, and damaging to a company’s reputation. For global brands, a simple mistranslation can turn a clever slogan into an unintended disaster. Whether it’s a marketing campaign gone wrong or a cultural misunderstanding, these blunders highlight the importance of precision in communication across languages.
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Hiring a professional translator or an experienced freelance translator is key to avoiding such pitfalls. A single oversight can result in millions lost, as the following examples will show. Let’s explore five famous translation mistakes that cost big brands a fortune—and how they could have been avoided with the right expertise. Remember, translation mistakes can be costly, as discussed in detail here.
HSBC: Assuming Nothing… Except a $10 Million Translation Mistake
In 2009, banking giant HSBC learned the hard way that not all translations carry the intended message. Their global tagline “Assume Nothing” was meant to convey flexibility and adaptability in financial services. Unfortunately, when translated into several languages, it came out as “Do Nothing”—a message that’s hardly reassuring when you’re trying to convince customers to trust you with their money!
This mistranslation caused widespread confusion and did serious damage to HSBC’s brand image in key international markets. To salvage the situation, HSBC had to spend a whopping $10 million on rebranding, scrapping the confusing tagline entirely. Their new slogan, “The world’s private bank,” was a safe, if somewhat dull, alternative.
Had HSBC hired a professional translator with a deep understanding of cultural nuances, they might have avoided this costly fiasco. It’s a classic example of how translation mistakes can snowball into massive expenses, making the case for working with an expert freelance translator who knows how to navigate linguistic subtleties across borders.
Lesson Learned: Proofreading is crucial, especially when dealing with large-scale projects like a rebranding campaign. Hiring professional translators with expertise in the target language and culture is also essential to avoid such costly mistakes.
Pepsi: Bringing Ancestors Back From the Dead in China
Pepsi’s attempt to crack the Chinese market in the 1960s proved that even the biggest brands aren’t immune to translation slip-ups. Their slogan, “Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation,” was a hit in the West, but things went south when it was translated into Mandarin. The message somehow morphed into “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead”—a statement that certainly turned heads, but not in the way Pepsi intended!
In a country where ancestor worship is a long-held tradition, this mistranslation wasn’t just confusing; it was deeply offensive. Consumers were shocked, and Pepsi found itself in hot water trying to clean up the mess. The translation blunder not only hurt their brand reputation but also forced the company to spend heavily on damage control campaigns to win back trust in the market.
Lesson Learned: Always account for cultural context when translating marketing messages. A freelance translator who understands the nuances of both the language and the culture can help prevent translation mistakes that alienate potential customers. When it comes to expanding into new markets, simply translating words isn’t enough—you need to translate meaning.
Electrolux: A Translation Mistake That Really “Sucked”
Electrolux, a Swedish appliance company, made a classic translation mistake when it entered the US market with a slogan that was perfectly harmless in British English: “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.” While the phrase highlighted the power of their vacuum cleaners, American audiences found it unintentionally hilarious. In the US, “sucks” carries a negative connotation, meaning something is terrible, making it sound like Electrolux was promoting the worst product ever!
Although this mistranslation didn’t immediately lead to massive financial losses, it severely undermined the brand’s first impression in the US. The slogan became a joke rather than an effective marketing tool, and Electrolux had to rethink its approach to regain credibility in the American market.
Lesson Learned: Localising language is about more than just translation—it’s about understanding the slang, idioms, and subtleties of the target audience. A professional translator with knowledge of regional dialects could have caught this issue before it became a punchline. This proves once again that translation mistakes can undermine even the best-intended campaigns.
